Vitriforming—a method for forming material at liquid temperature within a vitreous forming medium

Abstract

Vitriforming is a method for forming material into complex geometries within a vitreous substance. Liquid material is formed inside the vitreous substance through external forces applied to the vitreous forming medium. This technique can be broken down into four categories of operations: encasement, setup, forming, and extraction. All operations involve a forming medium, and a workpiece. The workpiece can be composed of any material so long as the forming medium is temperature, viscosity, and chemically compatible. The vitreous forming medium translates outside forces into the workpiece to create various geometries. This forming medium can remain a part of the final assembly or get extracted after forming takes place. Workpiece geometry is affected by forming tool geometry, initial setup, heat, and material properties. This process can be used as a fast, efficient means of forming metal or other materials with unique abilities to control material combinations, surface chemistry, texture, and overall geometry.

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